Come as you are. A phrase so commonly rolled off the tongue as Christians try to capture the forgiving, unconditionally loving, gracious character of the God we serve in just one small sentence. Honestly, I think it is a great phrase, as long as it is followed by, “but do not stay as you are”. This all together shows God is not one whom you can encounter without being impacted with a heavy desire for change. This world is broken in more ways than one could ever count. But so are we.

The moment sin entered the world, our chance at living a perfect life on earth was thrown out the window. But that does not mean God loves us any less. His grace is shown in our every day lives, beginning with us simply waking each morning. And His love is revealed by the blood shed on the cross as well as the overwhelming peace and joy we feel in times of great despair. Never do we HAVE to go a day without His presence in front, behind, and on each side of us. But sometimes, at least in my own life, it feels like we do.

This right here, is what brings so much beauty out of lament.

Earlier last week, I was reading a book and there was a chapter I read that was fully devoted to the word: Lament. I feel like the author captured it’s definition so perfectly. They said, “Lament is to pour out our hearts, holding nothing back. It is to pray without trying to be more full of faith than we actually are. Lament is prayer that honors the honesty of pain and anger while also honoring the truth that God is the one who reigns and whose hesed [This is a Hebrew word. There is a better definition on gotquestions.org than I could ever try to explain.] love never fails.”

I just love this definition of lament so much. We often think as Christians, we must be doing something wrong if we are not constantly filled with the joy and hope of the Spirit. In times of great pain, we feel terrible to question where exactly God is working. But honestly, we shouldn’t hide those feelings. Rather, we should feel comfortable enough to straight up ask.

In the 88th psalm, I believe lament is perfectly portrayed.

"O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
    incline your ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
    for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
    in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
    and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah

8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
    you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9     my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
    I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
    Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
    or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry to you;
    in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
    Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
    your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
    they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness."

Psalm 88 is very….very sad. But if you look closely at the first verse and the thirteenth verse, there is still a grain of hope and honor in the Lord.

Our God knows we are broken. He knows we will have moments of doubt or confusion or hopelessness. So He offers Himself to us. Freely flooding our hearts with His peace, love, hope, and joy, He does not hesitate to take action in response to our cries. Now this does not mean He will take away the pain for good, or even immediately. As we see the psalmist pray constantly throughout the psalm, each time, still in despair, it is clear that sometimes God’s timing does not match with our desires. Nevertheless, I promise you with all of my heart, He is still listening and moving. This is why finding a quiet place to retreat to often is so critical, as it gives you a chance to devote a given amount of time towards listening to God, and that alone.

Finding Your Quiet Place – Being Silent & Still In a Chaotic World

Often times as Christians, we have a great desire to share the Gospel with others so that they might experience His presence. Constantly proclaiming “come as you are” and “God loves you regardless of how your life is at the moment”. Yet when it comes to the lives of other believers, that phrase seemingly no longer applies. It is as if coming up out of the water after baptism had some miraculous power that made us perfect and incapable of being influenced by the brokenness of this world and our human bodies.

News flash. That water is just water. There is no power in anything without God, for HE alone has the capabilities to overcome sin and it’s effects on us. Becoming a follower of Christ is not a decision you make because you want to be blessed for all of your days, it is a decision you make to start a journey because you recognize you can not do this thing called “life” without the giver of it.

So whether you are a non-believer, or have been a Christian for 80 years, come as you are EVERY SINGLE DAY of your life. Seek wisdom. Learn to lament. For this practice of lamenting is how we can become aware of the true character of God and what He is actually doing, many times behind the scenes, to help our situation.

Struggling with hopelessness, anxiety, fear, or despair is a real thing. But just like every other symptom of this sinful world, God does not wish we go through it alone. This way of lamenting gives us the opportunity to be real with God and remain hopeful even when we are suffering.

Another quote that I find quite lovely from the book referenced earlier is: “Lament draws us near to God when we are tempted to turn away.” Wow. How true is that? The enemy’s desire is to do anything and everything that may lead us apart from God. But if we serve an almighty God AND an all-loving God, why on earth would we do anything other than go to Him during our struggles? It is not an easy thing to do, but it is necessary. In times of desperation, we often blame the only one above us, our creator, but we must not ignore the fact that evil exists just as much as good does. If God is love, peace, joy, comfort, compassion, hope, kind, and all things good, the safest place to be is in His arms, because anywhere else is absent of all that He is.

On the flip side, maybe you are not one of those who blame or turn from God in times of despair. Maybe you are similar to I am a lot of times. And so instead of being overwhelmed by a problem, you push it away, far under the rug, hoping it will suffocate and disappear. As the pile under that rug increases, you keep on keeping on with your day as if God is good and you have absolutely no problem seeing that. But I have a word for you…and myself.

God does not want us to be naive or ignorant to the issues around the world and in our lives. We are called to be lights, overcoming the darkness, bringing change that only by the authority of God can we transform the world.

So lift up your cries to the Lord. Let Him fight the battles you have no chance at winning. Just like confession frees us from the guilt of sin, lamenting frees us from the weight of anxiety and hopelessness.

When you pray to the Father today, be honest. But never forget who you are talking to. If you have no idea how you will get through a circumstance, that’s okay. You have a God who wants nothing but goodness for you. Trust in the only one who never fails you. Lay your burdens at His feet and remember that there is a big difference between: Temporary happiness and everlasting joy. Wishful thinking and unshakable hope. Restful days and overwhelming peace of the heart, mind, and soul.

So again I tell you, come as you are, but do not stay as you are. Let the Spirit of God reside in you as you go about your life-long journey of becoming a Christ follower. He hears the cries of His children. But remember, His timing is far greater than our desires. Let God help you to see your life as one to live, not simply to survive.